Why are we called Queen and Whippet?
No one tells you that one of the hardest parts of starting a business is deciding on a name.
Finding something memorable and unique that conveyed our vision and personality – with an available web domain? It was a challenge. At the start of our business journey in 2014, we brainstormed, created word maps, and even consulted name generators. The results were over-engineered rubbish and we felt rather despondent. ‘The Bespoke and Seasonal Fine Dining Caterers of Bristol’ had zero ring to it.
We ditched the naff name generators and looked instead to our values. How did we want our clients to feel? Our mission was to make them feel relaxed and welcome. Providing great hospitality was just as vital as serving beautifully crafted food. Thinking about our icons of hospitality for inspiration, one person’s name came up who was very close to home.
Jo’s Grandad was Kenneth Bush. Following service in the Marines in the 1940s, Ken went on to become a greengrocer in his home city of Bristol. It was his time as a publican however that Jo heard the most stories about growing up. He was a character – a true raconteur who welcomed everyone to his pubs at a time when not all establishments did. When running the Merchants Arms in Eastville and the Swan Hotel in Stokes Croft, his bars were often filled with the Irish workers who were building the new M32 motorway into the city.
Like our catering business, his pubs were a family concern, with Jo’s grandmother, mother and aunts often working behind the bar. When Jo’s dad first started courting Ken’s daughter Jill, he put him through his paces with a few shifts in the pub.
To reflect Jo’s hospitality heritage, we decided to create a business name that had the ring of a pub to it.
The Queen and something was a great start, and we wanted the second word to reflect a thing that we both loved.
Dogs, especially sighthounds, are a big part of our lives. We support the work of DAWG: the Bristol Dog Action and Welfare Group who are a charity placing ex-racing dogs into local homes. Whippet was the perfect companion word, so Queen and Whippet Catering Ltd was born.
Bonus business naming fact: we discovered (luckily soon after deciding on the name!) that to use the word ‘Queen’ or any other term with a royal association, it is a requirement to get permission from the Cabinet Office. Which, thankfully, we received, after telling them the history of Ken and his pubs.
So, thank you to Grandad Ken for inspiring us for our name. It’s a shame that he didn’t live long enough to see his granddaughter carrying on the family hospitality tradition. He’d have been an absolute legend behind the bars of our weddings and events across Bristol, Somerset, and The Cotswolds. I hope that we’ve made him proud.
If you’re interested in more information about us, or are planning a wedding, party or corporate event in Bristol, Bath, Somerset or Gloucestershire, we’d love to hear from you.